A standard crib rail “teething guard” set (front rail + 2 sides) from Babies-R-Us runs about $50. When Baby O started teething (and subsequently gnawing on literally anything she can get her mouth on), I seriously considered buying one (I just didn’t think it was a necessity yet).

Then one day I heard her laughing after one of her naps and smiled to myself as I went in the nursery to pick up my happy baby…

…I was shocked to find her happily chomping away on her once perfectly white crib railing! Just chipping away and chatting at her stuffed animals, or imaginary friends, happy as can be.

I tried to conceal my concern (though I’m assured that crib paint is non-toxic) mixed with my personal dismay (darn, I wanted the crib to be clean and cute!), and then decided to make this into a game.

With my Little Helper in tow, I found some very simple white fleece (you can find it at JoAnn’s Fabric for $8/yard…& you won’t even need a full yard) in my fabric stash, grabbed a pair of scissors and measured a side rail…I cut a piece to the exact length of the side rail X 10″ wide. I then draped it over the side and cut vertical slits in the fabric in the spaces between the vertical railings. Literally just tie the cut slits together in the spaces between railings. There will be slits cut the width of the vertical railings as well. I just tucked these under, but you could cut them neatly ahead of time, if you wanted to make it look more polished…

My Little Helper (she looks so serious in the photo below!)…

The finished product (on one of the three rails)…

Well, this is how I quickly fashioned a little make-shift teething guard. It sure isn’t perfect, but I think it’s a somewhat clever (or at least frugal) solution to a common problem. The pictures don’t quite illustrate each of the steps individually, but it’s easy enough!

Here’s Baby O and her Puppy, exhausted after only doing one railing side…Time for another nap!

I'm new to your blog, Shwin & Shwin sent me over. I already like what I see, I can use this crib rail teether right now, and I even have some fleece on hand I can use! Bonus for breaking out the stash. It looks really cute on your crib.

Is that the graco lauren crib? thats what we got for our daughter. Shes chipped the paint on her 2 side rails (had teeth since 3 months- at 9months she has 10 teeth) The gummy guards were great for almost a month and a half but are liftibg and wobt readhear. Thanks for this i cant wait to try it!

I just caught my 7 month old daughter chewing on her crib for the first time. It looks like we are off to get some fabric after she wakes up from her nap. Thanks for the great idea. Not only is it cheaper than the store bought guards but it is much cuter!

Thank you for posting this. I tried so many things with my son and nothing worked. He still chewed through most things. I am trying this, so hopefully my daughter doesnt do any further damage to the beautiful cot.

Thanks! I saw this on Pinterest and it was perfect timing! I tied one on to my sons crib (put a bit of padding underneath with a pipe guard from Home Depot) and wahlah! Thanks so much for the inspiration! I would love to share on my blog, would that be okay?

Thank you for sharing! I saw your idea last night and made it this morning. I found that a fleece throw provides just over the exact amount of fabric needed. The entire project cost $3! And, I did mine with stripes and the crib looks adorable! Thanks again!!

My daughter is 10 months and recently started gnawing on her crib as well. I can’t wait to try this! She is also a head banger and the felt will ease my stress of her hurting herself. Thanks for such a great idea!!

THANK YOU!!!! We bought 2 rail guards because my child was slowly consuming her bed. One didn’t fit at all, and the other would NOT stick, even with two different adhesives that warned about taking paint off. I saw this DIY fleece one on Pinterest last night, went to Hobby Lobby today, and it’s already on and working BEAUTIFULLY!! Thank you so much!!!

Thank you so much for sharing this! My daughter recently turned into a little rabid chipmunk and started gnawing on her bed! What a great idea for making a cute, decorative, and personalized guard! I went to Joann’s today, bought some clearance fleece for $1 (yes, one dollar) and the guard is already on! Brilliant! Thanks again!

Love this! Saw her chewing on her crib after her nap today, had this pinned on pinterest and went straight to get the fabric after her nap! I love your bedding too! Did you make that as well? Thanks for sharing your great idea!!

this is a great idea i have a 20 month old who is still in his crib and the other night he managed to take a small chunk out of the rail of his crib..He worked on it till he got strips of the wood off now a chunk is gone it was on the floor and he handed me a bigger piece when i went in to check on him so he didn’t eat it….This is very easy and cheap.. this should be done early when the baby is a small baby wish i would of done it then now his poor crib is chewed up..We also have a 5 month old with his own crib just bought so we are gonna do this before he turns into a hamster like his brother…thanks!!!!!

I saw someone do this same thing but with snaps on a cloth diaper FB page I’m on for our local area and it looked amazing but unless I get a snap press i’ll have to do this! My son has started doing the same thing to his white crib he just stands there scraping away the paint not even biting it! ugh! 😛 definitely doing this asap!

Hi. Thanks for sharing this with all of us! My daughter is 9 months and just started chewing in her crib. I went to joanns today and bought some fleece. I am concerned that she may still chew with the fleece on and mark up the rails so I think before I tie it on I’m going to put triple layers of receiving blankets on the rails and tie the fleece around it : ) thanks again : )

Great idea! We have the exact same crib as you! I JUST searched for “Graco Lauren teething rail” online because my little munchkin was chomping away on her crib rail going down for nap. Off to the basement to find some fleece remnants

Thank you! My baby is only six weeks old but I am doing this (way) early so I have something warm to lean over in the middle of the night. Plus, it’s going to really add a pop of color to her white bed with white sheets

That’s such a pretty crib rail guard and thanks so much for the instructions. I may try that with my next kid:) Did your daughter ever try to untie the bows?

For the super non crafty, another crib guard idea is to tightly tie an old swaddle blanket around the rails like we did. I linked to your instructions, and explained my approach, today on my blog of daily hints to make parenting easier and cheaper.

[…] barrier was doing little to protect the rails, I knew I had to move fast. I briefly considered this no-sew method but after Google Imaging fabric crib rail guards, I discovered that I really liked the more […]

[…] because I made it and for cheap! It’s just fleece cut and tied on. I used this tutorial at Jane Marie Photography. Incredibly easy! I saw a cute rail guard that matched my bedding that I wanted to get, but for […]

Completed this last weekend – thanks for the great idea! Just a note to anyone else wanting to try – do some measuring and test a small piece first. I needed 12-13in of width as my crib rails are thicker.

[…] expecting our second son, I came across an idea on Pinterest from Jane Marie Photography for a DIY Teething Guard. I only wish I found this idea BEFORE our crib was chewed to bits, but better late than never, […]

Fabulous idea. I live in a small northern town and have to order most things online. Especially since I’m being picky about my nursery and colors. Found fleece today and after I dye it the right color I will be making these for both long sides of my crib.

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[…] some really cute sewn rail covers, but never got around to making one. Then on Pinterest I saw a no-sew crib rail cover! Hallelujah! Something I need and might actually make!Mine isn’t as pretty as the one on the […]

Thank you for posting this. Just FYI, crib paint is toxic unless it specifies otherwise just like everything else sold to us for babies. We have to do our own homework for sure. Fleece is polyester, which is one of the most toxic fabrics out there. Cotton or bamboo fleece would be a much safer option!